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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

First-Ever Museum Meet-up

Last Saturday, a group of 23 readers and I met-up to go to the High Style exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. What a lovely day we had - and how much fun to meet in person! We met outside the museum and then went in for a guided tour. Here are a few of the highlights (taken inside with no flash, so unfortunately the color isn't perfect. But many thanks to Jeff for capturing all of these!):

This is a House of Worth gown in a lovely lavender with a fantastic scalloped hem. (Bonus: my teacher Sharon came along and gave us all sorts of tips on sewing scalloped hems at lunch!)

This couture puppy ensemble was a hit.

There was a good amount of Schiaparelli on display, including this lovely day dress. The pattern is flower seed packets!

There was a special section on American women designers, where we saw this spectacular sundress.

How fabulous is the silhouette of this gown?

But for me, the real highlight of the exhibit was seeing the pieces by Charles James, an American couturier who had his heyday in the 1950s. His gowns are no less than feats of engineering.

Do go check out this exhibit if you can. The Charles James pieces alone are worth it!

As for the first-ever reader meet-up, I'm declaring it a smashing success. Besides going on the guided tour, we also had a lovely lunch, complete with a sewing Q&A with Sharon. Also, my mom came all the way from Arizona to attend! (I think I promised her a prize for having traveled the furthest to get there. Hmm, will have to figure out what that will be . . . )

Didn't make this one? Don't worry, there will be more! I'm currently cooking up a visit to FIT's Eco-Fashion exhibit later this summer. (See the Threads post on the exhibit here.) Details to come!

So much fun! Just one more reason why I wish I was still based on the East Coast. Thanks for sharing these photos! I'm now curious what sort of tips I need to know about scallops...would you please share sometime?

I'm jealous too! I'd love to see the show. Ann Marie Horner posted about going to a museum show in Nashville last week and I'm so jonesen for some kind of show. Alas. Here's the show she was at: http://www.fristcenter.org/site/exhibitions/exhibitiondetail.aspx?cid=795

What a beautiful day! I agree with MommytoAva about the sharing of scallop-secrets. Perhaps Sharon would be willing to write a guest blog on the subject for us or you could share a few gems on the subject with us.

Looks like such a fantastic day! I had my first blogger meet up at the weekend, fabric shopping in Edinburgh with Debi from My Happy Sewing Place. It was so strange - and so nice - to meet in person. Internet friends really exist!

OMG I didn't know Schiaperelli did a seed packet dress! I sewed myself a skirt with seed packet applique a couple of years ago but hardly ever wear it now. I will have to dig it out and reference it when people ask!